A Perfect Reconsideration
by SirVenn
Summary: After narrowly avoiding death, Cell decides against immediately returning to Earth and takes a different direction in life. Having accomplished his purpose of reaching his perfect form and killing Goku, the bio-android wonders what's left for him, having received an apparent second chance at existence.
1. A Different Outcome

"Very soon, I am going to explode. And when I do, you are all going to die with me!" Cell said, trying to instill fear into Gohan and the rest of the Z-fighters.

Gohan felt defeated; he took far too much time toying with Cell, not expecting that he would go to the extent of destroying the entire planet. In spite of the significant increase of power that resulted from becoming a Super Saiyan 2, he had failed. The fate of the entire planet, in that moment, had been sealed.

"I-I should have listened to my dad!" Gohan yelled, subsequently falling to his knees. "It's all my fault. I should have finished him off when I had the chance!" The burning fire inside of him had gone out; he now began to accept that he and all of the inhabitants of Earth were going to perish.

"Ha ha ha ha! Sorry kid, but we can't all have happy endings, now can we?" Cell said.

Goku looked on, knowing that there was only one way to ensure the survival of the Earth and the eradication of the bloated Bio-Android in front of him and his friends. He did not want to leave them behind, but the interest of the Earth took precedence over his personal desires. Though Goku was one of the strongest warriors in the universe, his selfless dedication toward being the protector of all life is what drove him to fight. He looked at his friends, smiling, knowing what he had to do.

"Goku, what's wrong?" Krillin asked, the concern in his voice evident.

"Well, there's only one way we can save the Earth at this point." Goku replied.

Krillin gasped, knowing exactly what he had in mind. He knew that Goku intended on using the instant transmission technique to get Cell away from the Earth.

"Goku, what are you talking about?" Piccolo asked, beginning to realize what Goku was about to do.

"Goodbye, my friends." Goku said, transporting away from his friends and heading towards Cell.

"Goku!" Krillin screamed, reaching his hand out in front of him. Overcome with emotions, he realized that this might be the final time that he'll see his best friend since childhood. He was always like that, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Seconds later, Goku materialized in front of a kneeling Gohan with his face in the ground, and Cell.

"What?!" Cell yelled, overcome with surprise. Gohan lifted his face up, staring right at his father. The realization had yet to sink in that his dad intended on sacrificing himself.

"What the hell is Goku doing?!" Cell thought. Why did he have two fingers to his forehead with one hand, and the other placed on him?

"You've made me very proud, Gohan." Goku said, looking towards his son.

"D-dad?" Gohan replied, starting to feel anxious. He didn't want to believe that his father was going to use the instant transmission technique to bring Cell elsewhere, knowing that Goku would not have enough time to return to Earth. Perhaps he had something else in mind. Surely, he would do away with Cell and come back, right?

"I'm going to need you to take care of your mother for me. And you're going to have to tell her that I didn't have a choice." Goku said.

That confirmed exactly what Gohan had feared; his father was going to sacrifice himself for the planet, ensuring the survival of his friends.

"Goodbye, my son"

Cells face immediately turned to a look of complete shock. In a matter of seconds, Goku completely managed to foil his plans of destroying the Earth. But where was he going to take him?

"No, dad!" Gohan yelled, the intensity in his voice full of emotional distraught.

* * *

"Ahhh! Goku, you brought him here?! Are you out of your mind?!" King Kai screamed, while Bubbles and Gregory flailed around in fear.

"Sorry King Kai!" Goku replied. "This is the only place I could think of bringing him!"

"No!" Cell yelled, enraged that his goal fell through. It was time to face the end of his life.

The bloated bio-android detonated, releasing a powerful explosion that instantly took the lives of all five present on his now-destroyed home planet. The magnificent blast seemed to last an eternity, as Cell slowly felt his consciousness fade away. Left after was nothing but the empty vacuum of space; Goku, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory were now dead, and Cell was about to slip away into the state of non-being. And then, everything faded to black.

* * *

Cell felt himself wake up. He could see nothing, but he started to feel the sensation of regeneration overcome him. He felt his legs restore, and then his torso, followed by his arms. Slowly but surely, his entire being was reviving itself.

Finally, his head started to form, and all of his senses were back and well-intact.

And there he was, back from the brink of extinction, his perfect form at use once again.

Cell stood in complete shock, not expecting that he would be alive. Thanks to Frieza's cells, he was able to remain in the vacuum of space. His namekian cells were the primary reason that he lived in the first place, and because he was in a near-death situation, he received a significant power boost, thanks to the saiyan cells coursing through his veins.

He threw several punches and kicks, to make sure that he was fully healed. He displayed an expression of complete surprise and felt empowered, especially since his perfect self was back. As if things could not work out more in his favor, he noticed that he picked up the ability to use Goku's instant transmission technique. At that moment, he was able to sense the Z-fighters from his location in an emptiness from space, and he could have transported back over and destroyed all of them without problem thanks to his new power.

But he didn't.

"No, something's wrong," Cell thought, "I'm reborn, yes, but…I shouldn't be in this situation."

Immediately, he began to think back to after he spit out Android 18 and reverted back to his second form. Running from a child, resorting to blowing himself up as a means to secure his victory. The saiyan side of Cell knew how dishonorable this was for a warrior, and he began feeling an inner sense of disgust towards himself. The confidence he displayed one week before against Vegeta and Trunks when he reached his perfect form, all meant nothing now. He acted like an emotional weakling on the battlefield, and that's the final image of Cell that the Z-warriors would have inside of their minds. They would remember him as a disgustingly bloated time-bomb, and it was hard for him to bear. He felt _embarrassed_.

The walls of egotism were crumbling inside of the bio-android's mind. To make matters worse, he had achieved Dr. Gero's singular purpose of eradicating Goku. He was the ultimate android, and he accomplished the master goal that his creator gave him, and yet, here he was, floating in space.

His entire life was laid out for him in a systematic fashion: absorb Androids 17 and 18, and kill Goku. And though the androids in his time were destroyed by Trunks, he had enough cunning to slay Trunks and steal his time machine in order to fulfill his purpose. What was Cell to do now, having accomplished everything he was supposed to?

"Perhaps, I'm not as perfect as I thought."


	2. Planet Vorsye

Gohan fell to the ground, tears filling his eyes. Consumed with nothing but guilt over the loss of his father, he started punching the dirt, taking out his frustrations.

"It's all my fault!" Gohan yelled. "If I hadn't been so careless, dad would still be here!"

Piccolo flew over to Gohan's side in order to comfort the half-saiyan, who was still in his SSJ2 form. Gohan, still sniffling, eased up a little bit when Piccolo appeared next to him.

"You've made us all proud, Gohan," Piccolo said, "and you don't need to beat yourself up. Your father was proud of you and he did what he had to do in order to protect the planet. He went out on his own terms, and we need to respect that."

"I just…wish I hadn't been so stupid out there," Gohan said, appearing to calm down.

"Consider it a lesson, kid," Piccolo replied, "when you let your power and abilities go to your head, you're going to think that everything will work in your favor. It's not like that. And it's best you learned that now as opposed to later on in your life. You're becoming a man, Gohan, and it's time to start acting like one."

Gohan knew that Piccolo was right. He respected Piccolo to the same degree that he respected his father. The values that he instilled in him after Raditz was defeated always stuck around in his mind, and he took all of the advice Piccolo gave him to heart.

The rest of the Z-fighters flew over to Gohan's side, now seeing that he calmed down.

"Dry your tears," Vegeta said, "it's not fitting for a saiyan warrior to be such a sniffling mess on the battlefield."

"You were amazing out there, Gohan," Trunks said, "and just know that your father had to do what he had to do for the betterment of the world. Don't dwell too much on letting your ego get the best of you. I made that same mistake against Cell, too, so we can relate!"

"Goku would be proud," Krillin said, smiling. I've known him since I was a kid; always the selfless kind of guy, willing to sacrifice himself to guarantee the safety of everyone else."

Gohan powered down to his base form, reaching a state of emotional stability after talking to those who he considered his friends. He couldn't help but still feel a lingering sense of guilt, but the words from the other fighters relaxed him.

"What do we do now?" Gohan asked. "The world's at peace now, but there's still a lot of damage that Cell left behind."

"Dende made a new set of dragonballs capable of granting two wishes," Piccolo replied. "We'll use the first wish to bring all of Cell's victims back to life, and we'll decide on the second once we return to the lookout."

"I'll grab 18," Krillin said, "Dende can probably heal her, right?"

"No!" Trunks yelled, growing angry. "If there's one thing this planet doesn't need, it's more androids! She should be destroyed right now!"

Trunks started powering up, turning super saiyan in the process. With rage in his eyes, he sought to blast Android 18 into oblivion. He wanted to make damn sure that the Earth would be rid of these monsters.

"Stop it, Trunks!" Krillin yelled back, running in front of Trunks. This surprised Trunks quite a bit, and he immediately let the energy he was gathering dissipate.

"What are you thinking, Krillin?" Trunks asked. "Do you really want even one of these monsters remaining on the Earth?"

"She's not like the ones in your time, though," Krillin replied, "I think she's actually good-hearted. Let her live. Please, Trunks."

Trunks sighed in response. Had Krillin absolutely lost it? In any case, he didn't have as bad of a feeling as he initially thought he would.

"Fine," Trunks said.

"If it's any consolation, Trunks," Piccolo said, "if the android acts out of line, most of us are now powerful enough to easily take her down. In other words, you don't have much to worry about. In fact, you should be strong enough now to where you can save your timeline from those machines."

Trunks thought about it, and knew that Piccolo was entirely correct. All of that training in the hyperbolic time chamber did make a world of difference, and he now felt strong enough to hold his own against those monsters from his time. It was also reassuring to see just how strong Gohan, Piccolo, and his father had grown since he first met them.

"I'll get a night's worth of rest, then head out in the morning," Trunks said.

"Now, if there's no more concern, I believe we have a couple of wishes to make."

With that, the fighters took to the sky and flew to the lookout. Shenron was summoned, and the first wish to bring those who Cell killed was granted. Gohan, disappointed that Goku was unable to be wished back, asked if there was any way for him to come back to life. The idea of the Namekian dragonballs was entertained, until Goku used King Kai's ability to communicate to state that he did not wish to return. While this made Gohan and the other fighters sad (excluding Vegeta, who mainly stood silent with an angry expression and folded arms), Goku explained that he seemed to attract evildoers, and found it best to not come back for that reason; Gohan promised to his father that he would do what he could to make sure that the Earth stays safe. Understanding Goku's request, they agreed on their second wish to have the bomb removed from Android 18.

The following day, they all met outside of the Capsule Corporation building to say goodbye to Trunks, who was able to do away with the androids in his time, along with Future Cell, who posed no threat to the half-saiyan warrior.

For the time being, all appeared to be well.

* * *

Cell sat in the darkness of space, in quiet meditation, thoughts of his quest to perfection running through his mind. He had almost felt sickened with how driven he was by his initial goal, only to be humiliated by a kid. His one desire, to become the ultimate being, all meant nothing. Cell knew that he had unbelievable power, but what did it mean if he couldn't do away with those earthlings?

In fact, Cell had begun to question the entire concept of perfection.

"Absolutely miserable," Cell thought. The time during the fight against Gohan where he expanded himself into a ticking timebomb played in his head, which caused the bio-android to open his eyes and snap out of his trance.

"How pathetic I was," he thought, "this is not the course of action that a perfect being would take. A perfect being would NOT act like such a coward. If I had actually been confident, then the event would have transpired in an entirely different way."

Cell was starting to play scenarios in his head of what would have happened if he hadn't resorted to such idiotic measures. What did it all matter now, though? He lost, and took the coward's way out.

Why couldn't he go back to Earth and do away with the fighters now? He certainly could, but something was stopping him. Cell perceived blatantly attacking them while they're off-guard as being pitiful.

"I could stay in space," Cell thought, "but…this is getting rather boring. And I am growing tired of being trapped inside of my own head."

Cell was fortunate enough to have acquired the instant transmission technique, and he used to it scan the universe for energy signatures. After a couple of minutes, he located one with powerful enough signatures to lock on to, and he teleported there in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Arriving on Planet Vorsye, Cell appeared in the middle of a forest at night. Though he felt the power of their species, he knew that they posed no threat at all to him. And lucky for them, he had no intentions of doing away with their species. His ego was still somewhat crushed after his fight against the half-breed Gohan on Earth, and all Cell wanted to do was relax.

Using telekinesis, he converted some trees into a material that was fitting enough to lie down on. As he was about to lie down and pass out, he heard what sounded like footsteps coming towards him.

A humanoid child approached the bio-android, dressed in a black cloak. The kid had light-blue skin and red hair, and didn't seem at all intimidated by Cell's presence.

"So, what brings you to these parts of the woods?" The kid asked.

"Get out of here, right now," Cell replied, "as you can quite plainly see, I'm in no mood for social interaction."

"Ah yeah, I gotcha. You know it's just a little strange to see someone-"

The kid was cut off by a swift kick to the gut by Cell, who appeared in front of him in an instant.

"It seems as though you didn't hear me the first time. Get out of here, and leave me be."

The kid knelt to the ground, holding his stomach with both hands, but appeared to be smiling.

"What is this kid's deal?" Cell thought to himself.

"Ah yeah, you're – agh…strong al…right. Ow. Name's Ponchack, by the way."

Cell stood looking at Ponchack, bewildered by his nonchalance. Why was he showing no signs of fear in front of him? This was a first for Cell, who was so used to seeing the look of fear in the eyes of all of those he encountered.

"Well, aren't you the amicable one? I just kicked you right in the gut and you…play it off like it's nothing. Kid, I could kill you right here and now if I so desired. I suggest you start getting afraid and run on out of here." Cell said.

"That's actually good!" Ponchack replied, his voice emphasized by a bizarre sense of enthusiasm. This only made the bio-android more confused.

"Alright, just what is your malfunction, exactly? Why would you be so ecstatic to meet your end?"

"Well, that means you're probably strong enough to rough up those other guys."

"Other guys? Okay…Ponchack was it, now? As you might be able to tell, I'm not from around here, and I don't know anything about this pitiful rock you call your planet."

"Oh right, shoulda been able to guess. See, there are these two really strong guys who have been terrorizing our planet. Think their names are…Avo and Cado or something. Long story short, they killed my family and my friends, and they're not quite done here yet. Managed to escape the bastards and it seems like they're going to be coming back soon to finish the job. Family always said I should be as happy and energetic as possible so that's why I don't seem so distraught. Came out in the woods so I could train and make home here, then I ran into you. And you're kinda my only real hope at this point, so…do ya mind helping me train a bit? It's cool if ya don't want to."

"So he wants me to play superhero, does he?" Cell thought, beginning to laugh. When Cell transported himself to this planet, he didn't expect anything like this to occur. Never a dull moment in the life of the bio-android.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, kid, but come here tomorrow morning. For now, I need to relax, so I suggest you leave now before I turn you into a pile of dust."

"Awesome, man! Thanks! I'll be the best student ever, just you wait!"

Ponchack ran out of the woods, jumping up and down out of joy. Cell merely looked on, feeling rather confused at how unthreatening he seemed to this strange kid in a black cloak.

In any case, Cell felt somewhat relieved that he had something to look forward to after waking up.


End file.
